The sugar industry has been waging war on McNeil, the division of Johnson & Johnson which makes the Splenda artificial sweetener (Splenda is the trade name for the chemical compound sucralose).
Let’s start with how sucralose is made. A sucralose molecule, or C12H19Cl3O8, is created by adding three chlorine atoms to a sugar (sucrose) molecule (C12H22O11) along with three more hydrogen atoms and three more oxygen atoms.
You might recognize chlorine from its job as half of the molecule for table salt, NaCl. Or, if you’re an ignorant fool who listens to the sugar industry’s propaganda, from its role in household cleaners like bleach.
Is the element chlorine inherently harmful in every chemical compound? HELL NO. However, the sugar industry is spouting off ignorant bullcrap in order to try to protect their bottom line–insisting on calling sucralose the “chlorinated articicial sweetener” and spouting off about how it contains this “dangerous chemical” whereas refined sugar is “natural.” This mindless fearmongering is pretty laughable, considering the epidemic occurrence in the western world of poor health for which refined sugar is a large part of the problem.
I mean, let’s consider the differences here:
Sugar: Typical American consumption levels have been proven to cause diabetes and obesity.
Sugar substitutes: The sugar industry asserts that they might cause some “unknown” health problems, even though they have never, ever proven a causal link between ANY ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS and any health problem, even ones that have been around for as far back as 40, 42, or even 129 years! Mind you, any tests you may have heard about with lab rats regarding cancer have been thoroughly discredited owing to the fact that the same rats also developed cancer spontaneously when injected with pure water! These are rats bred for their ability to develop cancer. Also, the dosages necessary to cause problems are something like 30 cans of Diet Coke per day on an ongoing basis. Nobody drinks that.
I’m just really disgusted with the sugar industry’s attempts to portray sugar substitutes as nothing but poison while completely ignoring the hazards of their unnatural product. Refined sugar is processed by chemically extracting everything except the sucrose from the cane or sugarbeets. And it causes severe health problems. Not “suspected” of causing problems, not correlated with health problems—PROVEN to cause real diseases like diabetes. And they are trying to portray this as some hippie “natural” thing where refined sucrose is “natural” and “wholesome” and sugar substitutes are the devil.
Um, since over 1.1 million people LITERALLY DIED FROM DIABETES(source) in 2005 and I even know people who suffer from it, and sugar also contributes strongly to tooth decay, while no one has EVER gotten any disease or health problem as a result of consuming saccharin or aspartame, sucralose or any other sweeteners, I’m pretty sure I am going to keep on consuming artificial sweeteners enthusiastically.
Sugar industry, F*$K OFF with your lies.
]]>
)
